Watering trough for poultry and means for automatically controlling the supply of water thereto



2,397,479 ICALLY J. G. FRANCIS WATERING TROUGHS FOR POULTRY AND MEANS FOR AUTOMAT April 2, 1946.

CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF WATER THERETO .Filed Feb. 5,, 1944 m 7 m V M.

Patented Apr. 2, 1946 WATERING TROUGH FOR POULTRY AND MEANS FOR AUTQMATICALLY CONTROL-' LING THE SUPPLY OF WATER THERETO John Gilbert Francis, Heidelberg, near Melbourne,

Victoria, Australia Application February 5, 1944, Serial No. 521,178

1 In Australia January 30, 1943 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in and connected with drinking vessels or troughs for poultry and in the means for automatically controlling the supply of water to the said vessels or troughs.

Wet patches are generally to be found about the drinking vessels or troughs installed by poultry keepers; These wet patches are most undesirable. In addition to being insanitary they cause serious losses to poultry farmers and breeders because of the practice poultry make of drinking from puddles which act as breeding grounds for disease. The moist earth, it is known, conduces to germ growth and incubation of worm eggs andthe oocysts of coccidiosis.

An important object of my invention is to provide improvements in'drinking vessels such as will prevent dispersal of water by poultry which has been one cause for the undesirable wet conditions generally prevailing in poultry pens.

Another object is to provide a drinking trough for poultry equipped with devices which will preclude the overflow of water from the trough under all ordinary conditions, and with other devicestoprevent waste of water with resultant wet conditions in a poultry pen due to discharge of water whenever it is required to temporarily remove the trough for cleaning, the trough being normally suspended at one end from a fulcrummed lever co-acting with a valve which is automatically controlled by the weight of the trough and its water contents acting on said lever. a

A further important object of the invention is to provide drinkingvessels or troughs having devices which automatically control the supply of water in such manner as will ensure the maintenance at all times of Water supply and satisfactorily meet practical requirements for watering" poultry; irrespective of differential pressures in water supply systems and the variations in pressures which from time to time take place in individual Water supply systems serving the drinking vessels or troughs.

With 'theseand other objects in view, the invention consists of the features of construction,

combination and arrangement hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawing wherein:

' Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating the improvements in watering appliances for poul- Fig. 2 is a. plan view'of the suspended drinkingtrough seen in Fig. 1.

'Fig. 3 is 'a vertical section on the line,33 inFig.-1 .f""

Fig. 4 is'a detailview showing on enlarged scale one of the, devices that are provided to automatically control the supply of water to the'suspended drinking trough. In these views 2 designates a drinking trough for poultry}which is of approximately U-shape in "cross section, having a depth greater than its width and of such length as will provide the requisite capacity for the poultry to be watered. The troughwhich advantageously may be made from galvan'ized sheet metal has its side walls outwardly curved at their upper end portions 3, and it has lateral flanges 4 of substantial width exten'ding'from end to end on opposite sides as is seen in Fig. 2. The flanges are provided to support the Wattles of poultry when drinking at additionj -they'serve asguards by preventing poultry from enteringbodily into the trough and dispers'i'ng' the water contained therein.

The' said gr'ids are preferably formed of wire andfthey' have their opposite ends shaped as -pintles l which are journaled in bearings 8 provided or one side of the trough so that the said grids can be hingedly raised to'permit the trough to be cleaned and subsequently lowered to normal position. The'inhe'rent springiness of the wire enables thegrids to be longitudinally compressed to rele'a'se their pintles from the bearings should it be requiredto detach the said grids for repair or other purposes, and similarly when being replaced on the trough the said grids are compressed to permit the pintles to be sprung into "said bearings and then released;

The drinking trough; which is adapted to'be suspended at a suitable height above ground level, may be convenientlyinstalled between two uprights such as 9 and 10 on a dividing line betweentwo oppositely positioned pens in order that poultry in both pens can have free access to the one trough. A reinforcing wire frame II is secured to the marginal portions of the trough flanges 4. This frame has a longitudinal extension 12 protruding beyond one end of the trough. A hook-shaped bracket l3 which is formed of strong flexible metal is fastened to the upright vice have th irylqwer 9 and accommodates the end of said frame extension l2 whereby the trough is pivotally and detachably suspended at its outer end at a suitable distance above ground level.

The drinking trough at its opposite or inner end is suspended detachably and adjustably from a fulcrummed lever 14 associated with an automatic regulating valve IS.

The automatic regulating valve 15 is of known horizontal type having a flexible disc which is vertically seated and is adapted t control the passage of water through a port, leading to a chamber in the valve whence it. is discharged through a vertical delivery pipe Hi. The valve is secured to an elbow fitting atthe upper end of a vertical water pipe 44 which may be fastened to the upright ID by a bracket &5

The flexible disc is held on its seatingby pressure exerted on its marginal portion by a cap l e npl tely shut, on.

Th leve'r Mr s iuicrumme d on a. pin. I9 with,- in a aw iormedintegrally with the valve casing and said'lever hasat its inner end a, downward arm 'tc agtua-te Sa d val e rq tv and n pward proiection 2i thepurpose of which will be,

" ..T..- e exp n d-l v Alilexible cantilever 2 2 whichis substantially of inverted heshape: and.- formed of springwire, is v at its lower'end to the f'ulcr ummediever d a tension spring 23-. whichis securedat 0. endthe cantil ver h s t 013120 1 2 1 e fa, ened to; at linkor coupling 'stri-p2v4 formed with a series of; holes. 25, where y it is; adapted fpfr adjustable cqnnectipn tea pin. 2fi znr iectins fro opposite sides, of the: valve casing.v The 1? as fi Q flsto; ma n a ni hel ver Mupwar h inclined withthe flexiblecantilever: 2-2-1ofE-centra The angle atnwhicnthe lever l4 is upwardly in clined foropen-tap conditions; is conveniently adjustedtoi meet diiieren't requirements. by insetting the in 2 s-through; ahigheror lower hole nt e uplinsstneflt Ihasuspensiomdev ceiior supp rting inner prises 1 a member 25! substantially -f invert d V. qufi urat qn; h ving, at s; pper n a. vertical extensionin the form. oi a loop 28 and; at its. lowfirgendtwo lateralmembers 29, of U -s hape wh h ar set pnos t lys Thelateral members Ziiof; the suspension, de- .arms 0: extend n inward or conside ab e; distancebeneaththe trough flan es 1a e o.r;i...sprins, 3i conne ts theelup'per end of;the loopihwithatherouter endofi-the flexiloop 28 of the suspension device and is adapted to ride upwardly and downwardly on the ramp 32 when the inner end f the trough 2 is being pivotally raised and lowered, the said movements being governed by the quantity of water which is contained in the suspended trough.

Secured oppositely and adjustably to the underneath surface of each of the longitudinal flanges d of the trough are a flexible cantilever and a ramp 36 which are of similar construction to they components 22 and 32 previously described, but, are disposed in angular settings which are opposite thereto. Tension springs 31 are connected to the lower arms 30 of the suspension device and to the free ends of the relative cantilevers 35. The said arms 30 are adapted to function in a manner similar to the grooved roller 34 in that they ride upon the ramps 36 in the movements imparted to the trough, upwardly on the ramps when the inner end of the trough is being pivotally depressedby the weight or its, water contents and downwardly upon said ramps as the amount, of water in the, trough decreases andcauses the, inner end of said trough to be pivotally raised.

Each of the flexible cantilevers35-wi-th itsg associatedramp 36, is formed as a uni-t bmbei'n'g secit-red to a flat baseplate- 3&.see Fig, 4, and far convenience of adjustment the: said base plates are. longitudinally slidable in guideways 33; se: cured to the underneath surfacesoi? the trough flans t The advantages derivable from a water trough having wide; lateral flanges kwill-be apparent,

and the use with the trough ofa suspension device having lateral members 29;- with its lower arms 30- extending: inwardly for, a considerable distance beneath its flanges as; is shown in Eig. 3 is: particularly advantageous beeauselit aifords adequate,- suspensory support for the: end of the trough and furthermore obviates risk of the trough beinginadvertently detached even when itvis placedin. open field'siwhere sheep: or other animals-may b.e-present. v 1 F The detachmentof. thesuspended water; trough- 2' for cle anin'g or epair requires the us h r p31?- son. of both hisr hands if; spilling t its; water cone ten-ts, is to be avoided. Tof avoid waterwaste with; resultant; wet conditions c in. a poultry pen onthose occasions; when it is requiredte remove a trough,- I provide, a vertical: lug 40 W-mCh' iS formed integrallywith thevalve; casing." l5; and a:horizontalv locking-,screw b is passed through a threaded hole in said lug-see Fig. 1. when the; fulcrummed lever, M; has; been depressed-to that-degree which, Will-"Shut efi 'theefiow'of; water; the; screw}! If is, given a few turns by fingerpresisure until its; end impingedfirmlyagainst the upwardprojection that isiformed on theiinner end: of said lever; thiszmea-nsthe lever; is restrained; against: upward movement; which would cause;water, flowtoand from therivalve; When the cleaned or repaired trough isfnsubsequently; restoredv to its; suspendedposition the locking screw 4| is merely, turned inlthe opposite direction-1 and thusg'released: from; engagement with.-v the said lug, All; whereupon the. lever ht; will assume'itsnormal;upwardlytinclined position and then be; free; tp. have.- pivotal= movement onits fulcrum pin |9.; i .f'

Vertically s-lidable: in: rooves formed imjthe uprights it and Hi: is a: partitioning; boardufl which is disposed above the longitudinal centre line; of the; trcugmt andais; provided to prevent poultry in one pen pa's'si-ri'g; over;the:trough to.

gain' access to the opposite pen. The said partitioning board "has at its inner end a suitably shaped gap 43 in order that when it is lowered into normal position it will not foul the water supply fittings and the devices associated. with the automatic regulating valve hereinbefore described. A

In the use of the invention, the pin 26 isinitially inserted through a selected hole in the cou pling strip 24 to thereby give the fulcrummed lever l4 an upwardly inclined setting which is appropriate for the pressure of the available water supply or that used for watering the poultry. The higher the pressure of water may be, the lower is the hole 25 through which said pin is inserted. It will be obvious that the trough 2 suspendedat one'end from said fulcrummed lever will be inclined upwardly from the outer to its inner end and the valve-rod 18 will be freed from inward pressure exerted by the lever arm 2 to obtain the i.

delivered through the pipe I6 it flows from the' inner to the outer end of the trough. In seeking its own level a body of the water moves towards the inner end of the trough and the weight of water then causes the lever l4 to be depressed against the tension of said spring 23, and the lever arm 20 is thus brought into abutment with the outer end of the valve-rod l8.

In the said initial action the grooved roller 34 travels but a short distance down the ramp 32. As the water continues to flow into the trough, the lever I4 is further depressed, the cantilever 22 is flexed at the same time, and the roller travels a further distance downwardly on said ramp against the tension of both springs 23 and 3|. Simultaneously, the cantilevers 35 on the underside of the trough flanges are flexed and the arms 30 of the wire suspension device ride upwardly on the ramps 36 against the tension of the springs 31. The combined strength of the two springs 31 is approximately equivalent to the strength of the spring 3|. The further depression of the fulcrummed lever by the weight of water in the trough as described causes its arm 20 to press the valve rod l8 inwardly. The leverage exerted on the arm 20 progressively increases as the roller 34 descends the ramp 32 and consequently the inward force on the valve rod I 8 is progressively increased until such time as the inlet port of the valve is tightly closed by the flexible disc and a closed-tap condition prevails when the water has reached a predetermined level in the trough.

As the quantity of water within the trough decreases, the fulcrummed lever l4 gradually rises under the influence of the flexed cantilevers 22 and 35 and the tension of the springs 23, 3| and 31, all acting in unison, until an open-tap condition is again restored. In the upward movement of the lever I4 with consequential pivotal upward movement of the inner end of the trough, the roller 34 travels upwardly on the ramp 32 while the arms 30 of the wire suspension device ride downwardly on their relative ramps 36.

i What Idoclaimis: I 1.:An appliance for watering poultry comprise ing, a drinking trough, means for pivotally suspending the outer end of said trough, a valve for horizontal fitment to a pipe of awatersupply system to control the flow of water, a pipe for discharging water from the valve into said trough, a fulcrumme'd lever having, at its inner end-v an arm adapted to actuate said 'valve,.a ramp mounted on thexouter end portion of said lever, a first spring means tending to maintain said lever upwardly inclined with its valve-actuating arm inoperative, a troughv suspension device connected to the inner end portion of the trough, second spring means tending to maintain said suspension devicein raised position, anda member at the upper; end of said suspension device adapted in the depression of said lever by weight of Water in the trough to travel downwardly on said ramp against the tension of both said spring means, causing a progressively increasing leverage to be exerted by the lever arm on the valve, and to travel upwardly on said ramp when said lever under the influence of said spring means risesas the water within said trough decreases.

2. An appliance for watering poultry according to claim 1, wherein the lever is fulcrummed to the valve casing, the ramp has a stay member, said suspension device being a loop wherein is revolvably fitted said member having the shape of a grooved roller to travel on said ramp, and means are provided for adjusting the normal upwardly inclined setting of said lever for flow of water.

3. An appliance for watering poultry according to claim 1, wherein said spring means consist of a flexible cantilever mounted on the fulcrummed lever, a coupling strip made with a series of holes for adjustment and adjustably and detachably connected to the valve casing, and a tension spring interposed between the cantilever and the coupling strip, and a separate tension spring is provided which connects the outer end of the cantilever with the top of the suspension device for the inner end portion of the trough.

4. An appliance for watering poultry comprising a drinking trough having at its upper end a relatively wide outward flange on each side, means for pivotally suspending the outer end of said trough, a valve for horizontal fitment to a pipe of a water supply system to control the flow of Water, a pipe for discharging water from the valve into said trough, a lever fulcrummed to the valve casing and having a downwardly projecting arm adapted to actuate said valve, a flexible cantilever mounted on said fulcrummed lever, a spring connection between the cantilever and the valve casing tending to maintain said fulcrummed lever upwardly inclined with the cantilever off-centre, a ramp fitted on said fulcrummed lever, a suspension device connected at its lower end to the trough flanges, a tension spring connecting the upper end of said suspension device with the outer end of the cantilever, and a grooved roller carried by said suspension device which is caused by weight of water delivered into the trough to travel downwardly on said ramp against the tension of said springs whereby said fulcrummed lever is depressed, the iriner end of the trough is pivotally lowered and progressively increasing leverage is exerted by the lver arm on the valve to close the same.

5. An appliance for watering poultry according to claim 4, wherein the spring connection between the cantilever and the valve casing includes secured to said upright, and a wire frame which extends longitudinally beyond the outer end of the trough and is detachably engaged by said hook-shaped bracket.

7. An appliance for watering poultry accord ing to claim 4, wherein the suspension device for the inner end portion of the trough comprises a member substantially of inverted V-shape having at its upper end a loop revolva-bly accommodating the grooved roller, and at its lower end two lateral. members of U-shape which are set oppositely and each with its branches extending in wardly above and below the relative flange of the trough.

8. An appliance for watering poultry according to claim 4, wherein a cantilever and a ramp are fitted adjustably to the underneath surface of each of the longitudinal flanges of the trough in angular settings opposite to similar components mounted on the fulcrummed lever, tension springs connect said cantilevers with the lower branches of the U-shaped members of the trough suspension device and said lower branches are adapted tov ride upwardly on said ramps against the tension of said springs as the trough is'caused by Weight-of its water contents to descend, and to ride downwardly on said ramps under the infldence of said springs as the trough is caused to rise by diminution of the water contents.

JOHN GILBERT] FRANCIS. 

